5 Design Mistakes On Your Blog

When you first start as a newbie, you are bound to make mistakes. Although, it is best if you are well- informed about these mistakes and don't make them at all. I have created a list of 5 mistakes I see new bloggers make all the time and how to overcome them.

1 | Pop-up opt-ins

I would be scrolling through Pinterest like I always would (#Procrastination Goals) until I find a Pin which looks interesting. Clicking on the pin to bring me to the website, and BAMN! A popup asking to join their email list.

I understand that this could work with since you have more promotion for your email list. But as a blogger, I have seen hundreds and thousands of different websites asking me to join their email list. Most people like to see the information that the blog post has in store before joining your email list.

I am a blogger myself and getting people to subscribe to my mail list is one of the most important tasks of my blog. Although, not even allowing your readers to look at your content is annoying. And just asking them to join your email list doesn't work.

I rather people read my content, and fall in love with it and then if they are willing to join my email list, add an opt-in box throughout the blog posts.

What to do to fix it: A simple way to fix this mistake is to add a scrolling pop-up. This is when the reader reaches a certain point of your blog post or page, the pop-up will appear. This allows the reader to experience your content and understand what type of content would appear in your email list. I suggest the pop-up appearing around ⅔ of the page since it isn’t too early or too late.

Or you could also add the opt-ins button through your blog post. I do this around 1/4 of the way into the post, and at the end of the post. That way the reader is aware of the opt-in at the beginning and once they are finished reading the post, they get to sign up and dive deeper into the topic.

2 | 5-second rule

The 5-second rule is when a visitor lands on your website, they should understand what you do within five seconds. I shouldn’t have to look around your website to understand what your website is about and if it is a fit for what I am interested in.

Two of my favorite people who this perfectly are: Regina from byregina.com and Nesha from neshadesigns.com. Once you land on their website, not matter what page you are on. You get this "header section."

In this section, you get to understand who they are, A photo of themselves. What there website is about exactly, their ideal client (who they want to help e.g. Bloggers, Freelancer, etc.) All of this information placed allowing the reader to see it, the second they land on the website is called above the fold.

You should have an epic above the fold for your website since it allows your readers to understand what they will be expecting the content to be about. It is best to add the "above the fold header" template to every page of your website since you don't know where your readers could be coming from.

3 | Just Text

There is nothing more I hate than reading a blog post which is just a block of text or has nothing to break it up. You tell me which one would you prefer:

The second one is which most people would prefer. Breaking up your work into paragraphs is super helpful since it allows the readers to read the content in little chunks.

3 simple and easy ways to break up your text:

Adding photos: Allows the content to broken down, and visuals are more user-friendly than lots of text.

Create Bullet Lists: These allow readers to observe the information better and they are easier to read

Add Opt-In Forms or Call To Actions: These allow your blog posts to be broken down and promote your email list. Two things in one.

4 | Too many ads

Nothing is worse than arriving on a website which is bombarded with ads. I know you want to make money, but how could you if people are clicking off your websites.

I suggest you should have a maximum of 3 ads in your sidebar. Any more seems as if you are shady and only care about ads and not your content.

What to do to fix it: I know you want to make money from your blog, but ads are just not worth it. Unless you have a million users on your website, having an income is not even possible from ads alone. A simpler way is to sell products or services. Your product or services can be anything whatsoever. I have a couple of examples you could try out:

5 | It's Ugly

It is quite simple if your website is ugly it won’t convert. You need to have a great design appeal to grab the attention of your new visitors. Good visuals can set your work from your competitors. To achieve the well-designed website and brand you would need the following:

A good website: You can achieve a good website by either creating your own website in Squarespace or hire a designer to create the website for you with either WordPress or Squarespace.

Good Images:Having nice stock photos can make your website look like a professional business. But you have to be careful you can’t get pull an image from google. Your photo needs to be royalty free. Here are a couple websites I use for photos for my blog:

Pixabay

Split share

Gratisography

Picjumbo

Unsplash

A Style Guide:Having your logo, colour palettes, and fonts all are part of your style guide. With a style guide, you can create a brand look for your website. It is best to hire a designer for this step since they understand the process and how to create a proper logo.

Good Graphics: Creating Pinterest Graphics, Instagram quotes, Header Image are important for your website. It can make or break your website. You can either create your graphics on Canva or photoshop. If you are a new blogger and don’t have the money, I suggest using canva since it is free and it is super simple drag and drop feature. Although, if you have the money and have the experience I suggest getting Adobe Cloud.

Well, that concludes 5 different actions which can be harming your website. Hopefully, you can fix these mistakes you have your blog. Comment below which mistake you think bloggers make the most?